To the editor:

Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal has said, “America didn’t create religious liberty. Religious liberty created America.” However, it seems that our government has forgotten this truth.

I was astounded by news that Department of Veterans Affairs employees were forced to cover religious symbols in a VA chapel in Michigan. You would think that a chapel, of all places, would be a safe haven for religious expression, but it seems that nothing is sacred these days.

Religious expression in our public places, even in the words of our Pledge of Allegiance, is constantly under attack from a small minority that takes offense.

I’m happy to say that our representative, Congressman Randy Forbes, is fighting back.

As chairman of the Congressional Prayer Caucus, he has worked to protect our religious liberties time and again, and the situation at the VA is no exception. He has urged the VA to maintain the religious symbols present in its chapels and has joined 22 members of Congress to investigate this new VA policy.

I hope our other leaders will join Forbes and stand up for the religious freedoms of our veterans in Michigan and across the country.

Thomas Turner

Vice Chair

Suffolk Republican Party